Sponsors (7)
The bill gives communities stronger rights, transparency, and enforcement tools to keep local sports teams and limit price-gouging with public funds, but it shifts financial risk to taxpayers, raises costs and legal uncertainty for owners/investors, and may create administrative complexity and local displacement risks.
Local governments, middle-class families, small businesses, and homeowners get a prioritized, year-long opportunity to buy local professional franchises before they relocate or are eliminated, helping preserve teams, jobs, local tax revenue, and community economic activity.
Taxpayers and local governments are protected from sellers inflating franchise prices with public stadium subsidies because appraisals must exclude amounts paid by public entities.
Residents and local officials gain advance notice: owners must disclose the reasons, timing, and new location at least one year before a relocation, giving communities time to respond or pursue purchases.
Taxpayers and local governments may face increased financial risk and pressure to subsidize stadiums or cover losses if governments buy or are required to support teams, exposing public budgets to potential liability.
Franchise owners and private investors face higher regulatory and legal costs and uncertainty—including large daily fines (e.g., $30,000/day) and litigation exposure—which could deter investment or complicate sales.
Stadium construction and related redevelopment tied to franchise decisions can displace local residents and increase housing instability and community disruption in host neighborhoods.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires owners to offer local buyers a year’s notice and right of first refusal at a Treasury-appraised fair market price (minus public stadium subsidies) before relocating or eliminating a pro sports franchise.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Greg Casar · Last progress March 26, 2026
Requires owners of professional sports franchises to give local buyers a right of first refusal and at least one year’s advance notice before moving a team across state lines, leaving its home community, or eliminating the franchise. It bars leagues that affect interstate commerce from blocking government entities or members of the public from owning or receiving transfers of franchises, sets an appraisal process to determine fair market price (net of public stadium subsidies), and preserves existing collective bargaining agreements. Enforces the rules with civil penalties (up to $30,000 per day) and private causes of action for local governments and states; defines prioritized buyers (local government/home-community cooperative, certain nonprofits or public–private entities, then private buyers) and requires offers be at or above a Treasury-approved appraisal value.